“I was more exhausted than I have ever been before” – Jonas Vingegaard explains how 2024 Tour de France efforts ‘devastated’ him physically

After his horrible crash at the Itzulia Basque Country earlier this year, not many people thought Jonas Vingegaard would be in the running for the Maillot Jaune. Still, the Dane was brave and pushed Tadej Pogacar harder than he ever had before during the 2024 Tour de France.

Even though Vingegaard rode in the Classica San Sebastian and the Tour de Pologne after the Tour de France, some people didn’t like how little he did. But the man himself said that he had just run himself out at the Tour de France and decided to rest and heal at home with his family since the birth of his second child was coming up soon.

According to quotes gathered by Ekstra Bladet, Vingegaard said, “I was more tired than I have ever been after this Tour de France.” “I also needed to take a longer break. While I was riding the Tour de Pologne, I first wouldn’t let myself take a break. But then I did. The same thing happened to me. I could tell I was riding on the pumps a lot after the Tour as well. I could barely hold it together anymore.”

I needed some time off. I tried to keep going and race in Poland as well at that time. “It went well, but I wasn’t at my normal level,” he says. “I had a slow period because I was so worn out and tired.” I put a lot of effort into getting ready for the Tour, so it’s normal for me to feel completely worn out and sad afterward.

The 2024 World Championships were not on Vingegaard’s schedule either, as his foe Pogacar won a historic race in Zurich. “I’ve just been doing nothing. That break was much needed. It wasn’t because I was on maternity leave during the World Championships. It’s because I was so worn out from the season,” the Dane says in the end.